


You Can Never Escape This

by arysthaeniru



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Tennis no Oujisama | Prince of Tennis
Genre: Angst, F/M, hopes are dashed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-13
Updated: 2014-09-13
Packaged: 2018-02-17 07:22:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,722
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2301284
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arysthaeniru/pseuds/arysthaeniru
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Echizen Ryoma never wanted to be King.</p>
            </blockquote>





	You Can Never Escape This

**Author's Note:**

  * For [thelaziesthufflepuff](https://archiveofourown.org/users/thelaziesthufflepuff/gifts).



> Part of thelaziesthufflepuff's GoT verse, because I love Echizen and Sakuno.

"Koshimae, Koshimaaaaeeeeee! That was soooo coooll! Bang, Whoop and Smash and we killed aallllll of those slavers!" yelled Tooyama, straight into Echizen’s ear, as they rode along the West Road, at a casual pace. Sakuno’s hands around his waist tightened, in silent protest to the volume of the other boy’s voice and Echizen leant over to pinch Tooyama’s nose shut. As Crown Prince to the Seven Kingdoms, he couldn’t very well kill one of the ambassadors from Pentos, but sometimes, he definitely felt like it.

"Kouuuushimyyyy…" whined Tooyama, nasally, but shut up as the lack of air got to him. Sakuno’s grip around Echizen’s waist decreased, as she giggled, softly. Echizen missed the contact, but didn’t dare ask her to increase it. 

"Shut up, or we’ll get more trouble. The High Road's filled with scoundrels." said Echizen, instead as he eased Karupin into a trot. Karupin’s galloping was the fastest in the country, but Echizen had no desire to return to King’s Landing and listen to his mother lecture him for his lack of interest in inheriting the country. They already had one perfectly good bastard son who’d be more useful. Ryoga wanted the kingdom a 1000 times more than Echizen ever had. Who cared if he was a bastard?

Sometimes, Echizen wished that Ryoga was his real brother. Not because he particularly enjoyed being humiliated in sparring contests, or being constantly assaulted in corridors or being teased at banquets, but because of Ryoga was his actual elder brother, Echizen would be free to pursue a training under Ser Shiraishi and follow his dream of being a knight, instead of a stuffy King. Politics bored him. Sparring was far more interesting. 

Better yet, would have been if he'd never been born into the Echizen family. Though their motto was 'fire and blood', he thought that Maester Inui described it better as 'greatness and madness'. Echizen wanted neither madness nor glory, just adventure and being a knight and maybe getting to love whom he pleased.

Tooyama, finally taking the hint from Echizen's nose-pulling, started to speak in a smaller voice. “Geeeeeeeez, you westerners are so uptight. You can do whatever you want in the east, as long as it doesn’t kill anyone.”

"Really?" asked Sakuno, her voice brightening, as she turned to face Tooyama. Echizen was reminded that this was only Sakuno’s third meeting with Tooyama. She hadn’t been subjected to Tooyama’s constant chatty presence for the past three months.

"Really really!!!" said Tooyama, with a bright laugh. "You know in Prince Osamu’s coterie, there are these two advisers Koharu and Hitouji. They’re married, even though they’re men and no one cares! And Kentan was a former slave, but he still gets to be one of the highest knights in the country."

Sakuno grinned, as she leant back against Echizen’s back. “It sounds amazing.”

Tooyama grinned back, letting go of the reins of his horse. “That’s coz we’re awesome!” he said, throwing his hands up, and cursing as his horse whinnied and attempted to swerve off the road, almost dismounting him. Sakuno laughed delightedly, and the dainty sound even made Echizen snicker at Tooyama’s predicament. 

"Oh, Ryoma." she murmured, "We missed the turning for King’s Landing, didn’t we?" she asked, as she tugged at his waist, momentarily, her face worried, and her big brown eyes meeting his. Echizen was surprised, her sense of direction really was getting better, if she recognized that. 

"That’s because we’re not heading home. We’re heading to the Bay." said Echizen, casually. 

"Ehhhhh?????" asked Tooyama and Sakuno in unison, with various degrees of surprise. 

"You know that Ser Shiraishi and the Pentos contigent are going home next week." Echizen explained. "Well, we’re going to go with them."

Sakuno gaped at Echizen and Tooyama’s face brightened. “Really? When did your dad say that, Koshimae?”

"He didn’t." said Echizen, succinctly. At both Tooyama’s and Sakuno’s confused faces, he elaborated. "We’re running away. If we go to Pentos, we can be warriors, and get married without worrying about nobility and we can work on your awful swordplay when people are talking at you." he said, to Sakuno who flushed. "My father doesn’t understand that I hate being a Prince. If I run away like this, he’ll understand that I mean it. And then he’ll leave me be and let Ryoga be King or have another kid."

"Ryoma…" murmured Sakuno, her face worried and Echizen turned around to grasp her hands, stilling Karupin.

"Sakuno. Run away with me. Let’s make it out there in the East, the three of us." he pleaded. He didn’t beg often, the not the proud and arrogant boy-prince, but he needed to leave. The West was stifling. 

"Yeah, it’ll be awesome, Sakuno!" said Tooyama, with a huge grin. "I can show you my horse and how awesome she is compared to this one!" he said, glaring down at his horse, with a scowl. "And we can fight evil people and eat decent fruit and you won’t ever have to wear those stuffy dresses everyone wears here."

Sakuno’s concern fell away. “You two….” she said, softly and fondly.

"Pack light for next week. Three or four sets of men’s clothing, maybe one dress, your sword and money. If you pack too much, your household will notice and stop you. We’ll buy what we need in Pentos." said Echizen, as he turned back around and they started trotting towards the Bay. 

"Ah." said Sakuno, as she pressed herself closer to her, her face buried into his right shoulder. Echizen felt invincible in that moment and he couldn’t stop the smile that touched his face as Tooyama quickly got up to the trotting pace and grinned at him.

But all of his dreams crashed with the lone cry of ‘OCHIBI’ from behind them. Sakuno bolted upright and removed her hands from Echizen’s waist, immediately. 

"No, hold tight, we can outrun them." said Echizen, his face grim, as he raised the reins. 

"Tooyama cannot." she said glancing towards Tooyama who looked slightly pale. Echizen stared at Tooyama, with despair and just a little bit of anger. No. No, it couldn’t end like this. He had to show Sakuno the ship, or she’d never know where to run to. An opportunity like this only ever came every other blue moon! If he missed this chance, he’d never be able to leave!

Karupin whinnied and looked up at Echizen, waiting to sprint towards the Bay on his command. But Echizen threw his reins down in frustration, the smile long gone from his face as he watched the two knights draw closer. 

"Ryoma, your father has been worried sick." said Maester Inui sternly, as he drew his horse to a stop, with a flick of his cape and a slightly curious look at the three of them, especially Tooyama with his tunic muddied and Sakuno wearing the clothes of a man, her long braids tucked under a cap. 

"My father’s only worries are the lack of wine and prostitutes, don’t make me laugh." said Echizen, boredly. Sakuno shifted uncomfortably behind him as Tooyama softly snickered and Kikumaru looked worried at such a statement. 

Inui looked displeased. “Your mother wants you home.” he said, instead and this time, Echizen looked down. Everyone knew that Echizen Rinko was the only reason that the whole kingdom was functioning. Her wits, smarts and guiles kept the kingdom from falling apart under the reign of his drunkard father. His mother was terrifying and her wrath was something to be concerned about. Still….

" _Yadda_." said Echizen, shortly and brattily, crossing his arms across his chest. 

"Lady Sakuno." said Inui, changing gears, and addressing Sakuno. "Your grandmother will worry if you are missing for much longer. Your maidservant almost fainted when she didn’t find you were you were supposed to be."

"Tomochi…" murmured Sakuno, guiltily, her fingers twitching in her lap. 

"Kikumaru, why don’t you take Lady Sakuno home?" asked Inui, kindly, looking at her pale face.

Kikumaru nodded, with a disarming smile at Sakuno and she gave Echizen an apologetic look as she dismounted from the horse, and pulled off the hat that concealed her long braids. Before she left, Echizen gripped her hand and pulled it up to his mouth, for a lingering kiss. Sakuno looked on the verge of tears, as she pulled away and clumsily ran towards Kikumaru, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. 

Inui turned back to Tooyama. “Ser Shiraishi will be displeased by your escapades, Tooyama. He sees you as a way of connecting with the youth of The Seven Kingdoms, not leading them astray.”

"I don’t want to be killed by his poison hand!" wailed Tooyama, his eyes widening and gripping the reigns of his horse tighter. Echizen sighed and pulled Karupin’s reigns to tug her around and head back to King’s Landing. Both Tooyama and Sakuno had too much to lose by helping him leave and he wouldn’t want them to suffer for him, either. 

He would never leave King’s Landing at this rate. Inui’s horse caught up to Echizen. “The marriage arrangements are being finalized. Ser Shiraishi is bethrothing his sister to you, to strengthen ties between Westeros and Pentos. She is four years younger than you, but she is beautiful already. You will marry once she is sixteen. Do remember that Lady Sakuno is not nobility and never will be.” said Inui, mildly and Echizen gritted his teeth.

Shiraishi Yukari wasn’t ugly or even useless. She was good at maintaining a household, he was sure, but she wasn’t interested in sword-fighting or horses or adventure. She preoccupied herself with sewing, singing and dancing. Sakuno wasn’t good at much, but her interest in swordfighting, her ability to ride a horse and the way she looked when she smiled, made her the most desirable woman to Echizen.

But Echizen knew that he couldn’t even have the best of both worlds. Sakuno would never compromise her honour by having an affair with Echizen after Echizen was married - and besides, Echizen wasn’t interested in becoming a rehash of his lecherous father. 

It had been a mistake to dream. He spurred Karupin ahead of Inui and Tooyama to hide the tears pricking his eyes at the thought of being stuck in King’s Landing forever, as King over a Kingdom he didn’t want, with the resentment of his half-brother.


End file.
